Elevating caster device for furniture



March 15, 1949.

Filed April 5, 1946 w. c. HALLEY 2,464,503A

ELEVATING cAsTER DEVICE FOR FURNITURE 2 sheets-smet 1 /NvE/vrona /l'am C. Halley March 15, 1949. w. C. HALLEY 2,464,503

ELEVATING GASTER DEVICE FOR FURNITURE Filed April 5 15,546 2 Sheets-Sheet, 2

l I INVENTOR W/l//om C. Ha/qy Patented Mar. 15, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELEVATING CASTER DEVICE FOR FURNITURE 3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to furniture caster devices, and more particularly to a retractable caster structure for heavy furniture.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved caster structure for furniture wherein the caster elements are normally retracted from bearing contact with the iloor and wherein said caster elements may be easily and quickly moved into bearing contact with the iioor when it is desired to move the furniture.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved retractable caster structure for heavy furniture, said structure being very simple, inexpensive to manufacture and to install, and being very eicient in operation.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the frame of a chair provided with a caster structure according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view, partly in cross-section, of the chair frame of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of a hinged bearing armstructure employed in the caster structure of Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 4 is a detail cross-sectional View taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, I I designates a chair bottom frame comprising parallel side bar members I2 and I3 and parallel front and rear bar members I4 and I5 rigidly secured to the side bar members. A depending supporting leg I6 is secured to each corner of the bottom frame I I, said supporting legs I6 being adapted to normally support frame II in parallel spaced relation to the oor.

Rigidly secured to the inside of each corner portion of frame II is a horizontal triangular plate member I'I through which is slidably and rotatably engaged a vertical center shaft I8 provided at its top end with a anged head portion I9 and provided at its bottom end with a shouldered caster bracket 20 in which a caster wheel 2| is Journaled. Encircling each caster shaft I8 and bearing between head I9 of the shaft and the sub-adjacent plate I'I is a coiled spring 22 which biases the shaft to a raised position wherein caster wheel 2l is normally raised out of contact with the oor.

Slidably engagingl each of the front pair of caster shafts I8 and bearing on the shouldered bracket 20 thereof is the end portion of one of the lateral head arms of an inwardly and up- Wardly inclined T-shaped bearing arm structure 23. Slidably engaging each of the rear pair of caster shafts and bearing on the shouldered bracket 20 thereof is the end portion of one of the lateral head arms of a second inclined T- shaped bearing arm structure 24, similar to bearing arm structure 23. The end portion of the center arm of T-shaped member 23 is hinged at 25 to a center bracket element 26 and the end portion of the center arm of T-shaped member 24 is hinged at 2'I to center bracket element 26 opposite hinge 25.

J ournaled in T-shaped member 23 at the intersection of its arms is a roller 28 and similarly journaled in T-shaped member 24 at the interc section of its arms is a roller 29.

Pivotally secured to center bracket element 26 by a vertical bolt 30 and spaced above the bracket element by a spacer sleeve 3I is a large circular disc member 32. Depending from the peripheral portion of disc member 32 is a tapered inclined arcuate rib element 33 extending for an arc `of I and being of a radius suitable to engage roller 28 responsive to counter-clockwise rotation of disc member 32, as viewed in Figure 1. An identical depending arcuate rib element 34 is provided on the disc member diametrically opposite rib element 33, element 34 being adapted to engage roller 29 responsive to the counter-clockwise rotation of the disc member. A handle member 35 projects radially from the periphery of the disc member for manually rotating said disc member.

Journaled in the bottom surface at the mid point of each of the frame bar members I2, I3, I4 and I5 is a roller 36 which is adapted to rotatively engage disc member 32 as said disc member exerts lifting pressure thereagainst responsive to the upward camming thrust exerted on the disc member as tapered rib 33 engages roller 28 and tapered rib 34 engages roller 29 to depress the caster wheels 2| against the floor.

In the normal position of the chair, handle 35 is positioned adjacent the depending supporting leg I6 at the corner dened by frame bar members I2 and I4, as shown in Figure 1. When it is desired to transfer the load of the chair to the caster Wheels 2|, as Where it is desired to move the chair to a new location, handle 35 is rotated slightly less than 90 counter-clockwise, as viewed in Figure 1, until the handle is positioned adjacent `the depending supporting leg I8 at the corner defined by frame bar members I3 and I4. The supporting legs act as stop means to limit rotation of the handle to intermediate these two positions.

To return the caster wheels to retracted position, handle 35 is rotated clockwise, as viewed in Figure 1, until it returns to its normal position, shown in said figure.

While a specific embodiment of a caster structure for a chair has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that Various modifications Within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended notJ to,limit;theus e ofv the`y aboVe-disclosed= structurevonly to chairs, bututo employ it with all types of furniture, and it is further intended that no limitations be placed on,

the invention other than as definedbythescope of the appended claims. What is claimed is:

1. In an article of furniture, a-loottolrlrframe;H

a plurality of casters for said frame.said,casters being each secured to said frame but being vertically movable with respect thereto, means bias-KU ing said casters to raised positions with respect to and arranged to Wedgingly contact 'gs8,1161:,alfrris,re-` sponsive to ;r 0tat1on; otY said plate; memberl-thc upper,V4 surface of f saidt plate vmember underlying, portions; of said bottom frameand being formed,A

and arranged to elevatesaidfframe responsive to thegwedglng'congtact yofsaidcam means with said arms,

2 Inan articlebfiurniture, a-bottom frame, a-

plural-ityA 'ofi casters` for@ said 1 frame,` y each casterg being.;` secured to said `frame but being vertically movable `.with respect thereto, Ameans biasingsaid casters sto :raised positions; with respect to" said; frame, a. linkage supported on. said, casters, said: linkagee-.Ccmprising n a, pair., of identical inwardly` and upwardly inclined; T-shaped members. the v outert end. portions of-i the, head; arms of4 ,thecTf shaped., memberseach bearinggon meester, mea-ns hinging, together the, endsfv of` theVv stem` arms ofy the T-shaped member substantially centrally of the frame, a disc member pivotally secured to the hinge means for rotation in a horizontal plane, the upper surface of the disc member underlying the side portions of said frame, and depending cam means carried by said disc member adapted to Wedgingly contact the head arms of the T-shaped members and exert a downward thrust thereon responsive-fto'rotation of saiddisdmember.-

3'. lInan article of furniture, a squareA bottom frame, a depending support leg secured to each corner of the frame, a caster secured to each corner of the frame but being vertically movable with'respectthereto, means biasing said casters to raised positions out of contact with the door, a linkagesupported on said casters, said linkage comprising aippair of substantially identical inwardly and-upwardly inclined T-shaped members, thesouter; end portions of the head arms of the T-shaped members eaclr bearing on a caster, meansA hinging togetherI theends, of, the, stem arms of, the T-'shap'ed memberssubstantially cene trally of the fra meadisdmember,pivotally, se.- cured to the hinge means vforrotationin a` hori;

zontal plane, the upper surface of the, disc member underlying and being adapted'torotatilely bear upwardly ontheside membersofjthe frame, and; dependrlgcam .means carried bysaid. disc fmember., adaptedy to wedglnely` Contact'- the headjarms of;

the T'eshaped membersandto exert a downward thrust thereon responsive to vrotation, of said 1 disc member.

REFERENCES CIT-ED The following references are of recordin-the le of vthispatent:

UNITED :STATEST PA'JIENTS Number, Name Date.

985,289 Woclclga., Septir 28 19.09 1,016,745 Henrikson ,.,.Feb6 ,19.12, 1,076,778 Medart A-, IOct; 2&1913 1,092,220 Koch et'almin-c---a- Apr. 7, `19,14 1,161,007.' OVeImXGI---e-P- a-e NOV. 16;.1915 1,219,071l Bodnar ,giw- Mar..131,191.7 1,556,735 Tiffany Olot. 13;,1925'- 1,626,819 Hazlett 3,' 1927 

